


you and me, we could've conquered kingdoms

by isamagicdragon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Idiots in Love, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Nedbert is the hill I will die on, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:34:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24905395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isamagicdragon/pseuds/isamagicdragon
Summary: Robert doesn't know what he has until he realizes he's lost his chance.Or, all the times Ned was the designated driver, and the one time Robert took Ned home instead.
Relationships: Ashara Dayne/Ned Stark, Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon & Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon/Ned Stark
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53





	you and me, we could've conquered kingdoms

i.

Robert woke up, groaning. There was too much light in this room. Was this even his room? The windows were stupid. The light was stupid. He groped for a pillow to throw at the window, when –

“Baratheon. Wake up.”

Robert froze. He sat up, too quickly. The room spun. He lay back down again.

“Whozat,” he mumbled.

“Ned Stark, your roommate. There’s aspirin on your table. I’m taking a shower.”

~

Robert didn’t run into Ned Stark, Roommate, that day, but he did run into a couple of other guys who seemed cool but he didn’t remember. They all congratulated him for the keg stand he did last night at the freshman party, and clapped him on the back all chummy-like. Robert laughed, played along, but wondered. _What the hell is a keg stand?_

It wasn’t exactly something he could ask at his Natural Disasters class on his very first day at university. For a class about disasters, it was a lot duller than he thought it would be.

He mostly forgot about Ned Stark, Roommate, until he stumbled back into his dorm room. The room had changed dramatically since he left it this morning. The bed on the right now had a gray duvet on it. Books had appeared on the shelves, an honest-to-god shoe rack had materialized by the door, next to a pile of boxes that haven’t yet been unpacked.

Ned Stark, Roommate, was working on a set of speakers and wires, and Robert did a double take.

“Is that a hi-fi?” He blurted.

~

“I thought you were boring!” Robert exclaimed through a mouthful of burger. After they managed to get the hi-fi working, they’d gone to the Burger Khal nearest to the Eyrie for dinner.

Ned raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were a lightweight.”

“I’m not!”

“You barely lasted a second on the keg and then you puked all over yourself when you got down. You were so out of it you nearly threw up again in my car.”

“You drove me home?” Robert asked, surprised. And a little ashamed, but only a little. “I don’t think I met you until this morning.”

“So you were black out drunk off of beer?” Ned snickered. “My point stands – lightweight.” 

“Well, I’ll do better than you at the next party we’re at, then,” Robert declared. He stole an onion ring off of Ned’s plate. “Wait – did you even do a keg stand last night?”

Ned snorted. “Nah. Had enough of that at home. We stopped when Benjen – my youngest brother – started asking to join. Didn’t seem so cool after that anymore.”

“How old were you?” Robert was fascinated. Maester Cressen would never have let him, or his brothers, drink at home, much less have a party where people did keg stands.

“Sixteen. Ben was only ten.” Ned grinned, and Robert realized that he hadn’t yet seen Ned Stark, Roommate, smile. He felt something flutter in his gut. Must be the burger.

ii.

Robert woke up to Ned shaking him awake. Ned was saying a lot of words. It was too early, though. Robert refused to open his eyes, and rolled away from Ned.

“ – you’ll never make your flight if you don’t get up now –“

Flight? Flight. Back to the Stormlands. Stannis calling about Renly being hospitalized –

Robert sat up, too quickly. He fought the urge to throw up though, and clambered out of bed, eyes wild. “Oh shit, Ned, what time is it? I have to go –“

“It’s eleven am. Your flight is at noon, and the drive to the airport is going to take an hour at least, something happened with the roads going down and they blocked off Hardyng Road for repairs.” Ned was throwing clothes into a suitcase, and Robert scrambled to help. “You’ll have to go through Iron Oaks–“

Where were his shoes? “Forget the suitcase, Ned, I have clothes in Storm’s End. Can I borrow your car?”

“No!” Ned snapped. “You nearly drank your body weight last night, Robert, I’m not letting you drive. I called you a cab, it should be here in ten minutes. Drink those” – he pointed to a large bottle of water on his desk, with a bottle of Gatorade next to it – “and _do not_ miss your cab. I’ll inform Professor Arryn and the rest of them where you’ve gone.”

Ned left for class. Robert caught his cab, caught his flight, and threw up on the plane thrice.

~

It was only on the plane when he realized he smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. His tongue felt like sandpaper, his head was pounding, and the light hurt his eyes. _How much did I drink last night?_

It had been his band’s first real gig last night, but he couldn’t remember anything past the high of being onstage. Their set was awesome – but judging from the state he's in, it might've gone _too_ great.

He can't show up to the hospital like this. Robert knew he wasn't a responsible adult, but for Renly's sake he could at least try to _appear_ like one.

When he arrives at the Stormlands, he wastes a good two hours to buy fresh clothes and to look for a place to shower. When he finally arrives at the hospital, Renly is asleep, Maester Cressen has taken care of all the particulars, and Stannis says nothing, his eyes accusing.

~

That evening, he called Ned.

"How's Renly?" Ned asked.

"He's okay now. Apparently he has pneumonia? The doctor says he'll be better in a week or so." Robert sighed heavily. "Maester Cressen -- you know, our legal guardian? Dad's friend? -- he got here before I did, and he talked to the doctors and settled all the shit. So when I got here, everything was already taken care of."

"That's good, then." There was a pause at the other end. "Robert –"

"If you're about to lay into me about being more responsible, save it," he said flatly. "Stannis got ahead of you there."

Again, silence on the other end. Robert knew Ned -- this was a trick Ned used to get him to spill his guts.

He won't fold to this. Robert gritted his teeth, and kept resolutely silent.

At this point Ned would be raising an eyebrow at him. Robert knew _that_ look well, too. He could feel the disappointment radiating from the phone, even if Ned was literally states away.

He fidgeted with the phone.

Ned was still not saying anything --

"Okay fine. I'm Stannis and Renly's legal guardian now, I shouldn't be getting trashed every night, I promise to try to be more responsible for both me and them," Robert blurted.

Ned sighed. "I know you can do it, Robert," he said gently. "But you don't owe _me_ that promise."

"I --"

"Arryn wants to know when you'll be back from the Stormlands," Ned interrupted.

"I guess I'll stay until Renly's better." Robert swallowed. "Listen, Ned --"

"Don't apologize to me, Robert. _Talk to your brothers_. I'll tell Arryn you'll be back in two weeks, get your paperwork done for you. I have to go now. Good night."

Robert hung up, dejected.

iii.

Robert was not as irresponsible as his high school teachers made him out to be, and after the close call with Renly, he managed to stay relatively sober throughout the rest of college. He'd made his promise to Ned and Stannis, kept it too, and even managed to write a few songs here and do a few gigs there. Warhammer was doing well, he was graduating (barely, really; Professor Arryn was too good to him) and his brothers could take care of themselves now.

Therefore: tonight, he deserved to party.

"Ned!" he roared, as he spotted his best friend entering the bar. "I thought you'd gone back North!"

Ned slipped into the seat next to him. "Don't be stupid, graduation's still coming up," he said easily, and ordered a drink. "Dad and the others are coming down for graduation, and then it's King's University for me. You?"

"King's?" Robert asked, surprised. "Aren't we going to Lannisport?"

"No, man!" Ned laughed. "You're going to Lannisport. Not all of us can be rock stars after graduating, you know." The bartender poured them both beers (Ned's first, Robert's fifth), and Ned took a deep draft of his. "Professor Arryn gave me a recommendation for King's Law, and Dad was really proud I'd gotten in."

Robert's stomach dropped. "Law school?" he demanded. "I didn't even know you'd applied!"

"You were too busy shoved up your thesis or some chick's tits to notice." Ned rolled his eyes. "Relax, I'll just be at King's Landing. It's not like I'll be across the Narrow Sea or anything."

Not across the Narrow Sea, yeah, Robert thought. Just across Westeros.

Ned continued laying out his plans for after college (which included two jobs, despite his trust fund, since he was Ned), but Robert couldn't shake the dread that had crept into his stomach.

~

They ditched the bar not long after Ned dropped that bombshell, and moved from frat house to frat house to party. Robert consequently got drunker and drunker, and after the third one they got to, he'd stopped caring that Ned had stopped drinking.

"One of us has to be sober enough to remember where we live, Robert," had been Ned's defense, and Robert had been drunk enough to let it slide, as long as Ned smiled at him like that again.

"Well, you might not get drunk tonight, but you sure as hell are getting laid," Robert slurred.

Ned rolled his eyes. "No, I mean it," Robert insisted. "Just keep half-smiling like that -- it makes you look sexy as fuck. Good thing you didn't" -- Robert made a shaving gesture with his beer, and half of it sloshed out. "Damn man, you look hot."

Ned's half-smile went a little stiff, but then he'd always been weirdly self-conscious about his looks. Robert ignored that, and scanned over the rest of his friend. Why the hell did Ned never have chicks? The guy had a six pack -- what did he even do up North? Chop down all the firewood his fucking castle needed?

There's no way in hell Robert was the only who noticed Ned's Northern-lumberjack appeal. He looked around quickly, and -- jackpot. A blonde was checking out Ned's ass.

"Blonde, six o'clock!" he crowed. "So what's our play?"

"Play -" Ned looked over his shoulder, then shook his head. "I'm not looking to score tonight, Robert."

"You sure?" Robert asked. "Because she seems really interested."

"Yeah, man, I'm sure." Ned changed the subject abruptly. "Look, Elbert just got in."

~

Robert might have been easily distracted, but the blonde from earlier wasn't. She'd been trying to catch Ned's eye for the past half hour, and his friend was oblivious. Then, when Ned got up to get a bowl of chips, she moved in on him.

Yay. Good for Ned.

Robert downed his beer, and crushed the can in one hand.

~

He'd gone to get another drink from the kitchen when the Blonde from Earlier cornered him.

"Hey there," she said, laying her hands on his chest and winking at him. "I'm Cara."

He stared at her.

"I know you and Ned are together, but what do you think about you, me, and him have some fun, just for tonight? He already has a taxi waiting for us outside."

~

After that, Robert lost track of his surroundings -- the only thing that really mattered was to get Clare naked, and try not to fuck up his chance at a threesome. He didn't know how they got back into their dorm room, but they managed. Ned's work, probably.

"I lost my bra," Clara laughed breathlessly, getting into Robert's bed. "But whatever, right?"

"I got it off in the taxi, it might still be there," Ned muttered. He was a lot more hesitant than Robert -- Robert wasted no time in getting her shirt off, and was already squeezing a soft breast.

"Oh god, I need more," she moaned. "Ned, come on already!"

Ned obliged, and climbed into bed with them. Carly dragged him down for a long, hot kiss, and Robert stared at his best friend making out with a hot blonde and tried not to come.

When he finally managed to rip his eyes away, they landed on the tent in Ned's jeans, and suddenly, he couldn't stop himself anymore. He reached out and undid the fly, desperate to get them _off_ and see what Ned would look like when _Ned_ was trying not to come.

Ned wore gray boxers underneath. Impatient, Robert shoved his hands in, grasping at the length trapped inside it, and Ned moaned.

"Robert -- ah, _fuck_ , Robert, let me take off --"

Roebrt obliged, and helped Ned shuck his boxers. And then his hands were back on Ned, watching the muscles on Ned's stomach tremble with each stroke. He glanced up, and suddenly felt like he was choking on air.

Ned was staring at him, with an intensity he'd never seen before -- like his best friend wanted him so much he couldn't stand it, like his best friend couldn't believe that this was happening, like his best friend wanted to _devour_ him alive --

Dimly, he felt Carina pulling off his own pants and divesting him of the rest of his clothes, but his attention was focused solely on the gray receding from Ned's eyes as the pupils blew out wide and dark.

Suddenly, a slick finger nudged around his hole, and he jumped.

Carol shushed him, and caressed his side reassuringly. "Don't worry, lie back and we'll take care of you. Just relax for me and Ned, okay?"

Robert, unable to handle the intensity of Ned staring back at him, lay back and shut his eyes, and again, willed himself not to come. Between Ned's gentle kisses, and Caroline's fingers, it wasn't long before he was near the edge again, fighting for control over his own cock.

"Robert, look at me," Ned said hoarsely. His eyes flew open, and Ned looked back, just as wildly. "Are you sure you want me to fuck you?"

"I -- yes Ned, yes. Just, get on with it alrea -- _ohhh,"_ he moaned. Carrie had hit his prostate, and stars were beginning to explode behind his eyelids. He felt Carrie and Ned shift around, being pulled into position, and suddenly Ned was on top of him, and the tip of Ned's cock was nudging into his ass.

"F-fuck..." Robert groaned. His brain was short-circuiting -- from the ecstasy Elbert gave him, or from the feel of Ned's dick stretching his ass open, he didn't know. Cassie had produced a vibrator from somewhere; she'd set up his desk chair to have a good view of his bed, and was watching them hungrily while she got started on her own cunt.

"Go on, Ned, yeah, fuck him. Look how much he wants it."

He could only moan in reply. Ned was thrusting shallowly, experimentally, and. Well. Robert was overheating, his cock was leaking, and –

~

Robert was awake, and terrified.

Carla (or was it Cara?) from the night before had left; he was on a bed, next to a naked Ned. He was naked, Ned was naked, a girl had just left their dorm room in last night's clothes, and his ass burned like hell.

It wasn't hard to figure out what happened.

~

iv.

Warhammer's tour finally took Robert to King's Landing, and Robert and Ned met up at a posh bar near Ned's office the day after the concert. It's been months since he and Ned had seen each other. Ned had flown to the West Coast while waiting for the results of his bar exams, and Robert had taken Ned partying until dawn when they got the news that Ned had topped the exams.

 _It still isn't good enough for my father_ , Ned had confided in him, and Robert had nearly stormed up North to show Rickard Stark just what Ned was worth. It's been years since they graduated college, and even after everything that had happened between them ( _Ned fucked you and left you for the other side of the continent)_ , Ned was still the best man he knew. Now, Ned was working at the best law firm in the capital, but he still wasn't good enough for his dad?

Fuck Brandon Stark. Robert had met the man, twice now, and Robert was still convinced that Ned was the better son.

"And everything is just a mess up North, Robert. Catelyn sent all of his things back to Winterfell, and since Dad received them, he'd been the one to open them, and all of the panties were at the very top of the boxes -- are you listening?"

Robert rolled his eyes. "Of course Brandon's the type to keep the panties," he said darkly.

Ned buried his hands in his hair and sighed. "I feel like I don't even know him anymore, Robert. Apparently even he and Lya - _he and Lya! ­_ \- are fighting. Something about Brandon not being the final 'approver' of any man she decides to date. I'd rather stay here and work overtime for Jon than go back North for the holidays."

"So come with me to Lannisport instead!" Robert set his mug of beer down decisively. "Gerion Lannister invited Warhammer to his New Year's party -- you could come with us!"

Ned looked at him quizzically. "I -- you're not going back to the Stormlands?"

"Nah, Stannis and Renly will be fine. Besides, we're playing at Gerion's party," Robert admitted sheepishly. "But we're playing new material! And I want you to see."

"I don't know, Robert," Ned said slowly. "Things will be tense in Winterfell, yeah, but Father is expecting me. And I haven't seen Benjen in a while."

Robert waved Ned's concern away. "It's still a month away, you can decide later. Now, though, there's a hot chick at the bar, and she's been checking you out since she got in here."

Ned turned, and to Robert's surprise, the brunette at the bar waved at Ned.

To Robert's even greater surprise, Ned blanched and waved back.

"Oh! So you know this girl!" Robert crowed.

Ned turned to face him again, a hint of panic in his usually cool eyes. "Stop being so loud, you idiot," he hissed. "But yes, I know her -- she works at a magazine, and her boss is one of Jon's clients."

"She looks interested -- why don't you go talk to her? She's been making come-on eyes at you since you walked in, you know." Robert was getting a horrible feeling that this had happened before, but thankfully, Ned shook his head.

"I came here to see _you_ , Robert." Ned said stubbornly. "How have you been doing?"

That filled Robert with a warm, pleasant feeling inside, but he's had four beers, so he didn't bother examining it more closely. Robert dutifully filled Ned in on what's happened in his life -- touring the Reach had been fun; the food was delicious and the girls were pretty. Ned was laughing through his story about Elbert accidentally eating some pot brownies before meeting his fiancee's parents, when someone coughed delicately above them.

Robert looked up -- it was the brunette from the bar.

"Hi Ned!” she said, voice warm and low. She was even more gorgeous up close; dark hair, flawless skin, and striking purple eyes. On a normal day, Robert will already be up, prepared to flirt and ready to buy her a drink. But it’s been three months since he last saw Ned, so he just took a draft of his beer in annoyance. 

Ned’s eyes flit between him and the woman, and he gave a small sigh. “Hi Ashara. This is my friend Robert -- he’s the front man for the band Warhammer, if you know them? Robert, this is Ashara.”

Ashara held out a delicate hand, and Robert shook it unwillingly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said. Robert nearly snorted -- her eyes clearly said otherwise. She settled into the seat next to Ned, a little too gracefully, in Robert’s opinion, and Ned’s face immediately shuttered off into an expression of extreme discomfort. 

“I didn’t know your friends are rockstars, Ned,” she teased, but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes that Robert associated with predatory groupies. “Is this why you cancelled our date?” 

Robert nearly choked on his own saliva. “D-date, Ned?” 

Ned sighed again. “I didn’t know you already made reservations, Ashara,” he said, voice pained. “Robert’s only in town today; their band is flying to Essos tomorrow.”

“I see,” she said. She turned to Robert, eyes _evaluating._ “I’ve never been to Essos before — will this be your first time?”

~

Ashara made short work of fabricating an excuse to leave with Ned in tow, and before long, she was calling a cab while Ned hung back, apologizing.

“I’m so sorry, Robert,” Ned said, voice tight in a way that only happened when he was truly upset. “But —“

“Don’t worry, I get it,” Robert interrupted. He winked at Ned, hoping to mask his disappointment with enthusiasm that he really didn’t feel. “Girlfriend problems. Wouldn’t want to get in the way. New Year’s, then?”

Something in Ned’s expression softened. “She’s not my girlfriend, but I — sure. What the hell. Make sure you get Elbert to bring Taena to the party, I don’t want to meet her for the first time at his goddamn wedding.”

Robert laughed, and clapped a hand to Ned’s back. “Sure, if they’re still together by then!”

Their taxi arrived, and Ashara took Ned’s arm possessively. “It was so good to meet you, Robert!” she said, smile so cold butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. “See you at New Year’s!” 

Ned met his eyes, alarmed, but Ashara was already tugging him into the car. 

~ 

Later — much later — when Robert is drunk out of his mind, and the bar is empty aside from Robert and the bartender, Ned comes back to take Robert home. 

“Easy now, Robert,” Ned says, as Robert stumbles into his best friend’s arms. 

He smells like pine trees and wood smoke. Robert would say it was absurd, how Ned still smells like the North even when he’s stuck in the hellhole that was King’s Landing, but Robert has been drinking for most of the night and all he can do is lean in and take deep breaths and try not to rage at how unfair it was that they never got to spend more than a day with each other anymore. 

“Come to Essos with me,” he slurs, settling his weight against Ned’s.

Ned stumbles a little — Robert is taller and more muscled than him — but manages to help Robert walk out of the bar. Two taxis are waiting for them at the curb. 

“You know I can’t, Robert,” Ned murmurs. “I want to, but my job is here, and—“

“So quit your job! I’ll take care of you. You’ll never have to work again, Warhammer is really doing well now —“

Ned’s expression twists into something so profoundly _sad_ that Robbert gets an ache in his own chest. “You’ve had too much to drink, Robert,” he says woodenly. “You should get back to your hotel and sleep it off.” 

“But —“ 

But Ned was already depositing him into the backseat of a cab. 

“But I’ll see you on New Year’s, okay?” Ned gives him a small smile, eyes still _unforgivably_ sad, and shuts the door.

~

v.

Ned doesn't make it to New Year's. Ned doesn't make it anything at all, for months, for _years_ even, because he suddenly found himself a single father. 

It happened so fast. First, Lyanna went missing, then Brandon died in a car crash, then Lord Stark was killed, then Lyanna had a baby and then Lyanna died. Robert had flown North the moment he heard; he and Elbert put their feet down and cancelled Warhammer's upcoming concerts just so they could make it to the funeral. The image of Ned -- exhausted, baby in his arms and bags under his eyes, sitting vigil for three coffins in his cold, empty castle -- is going to haunt Robert for a long, long time. 

Ned moved back North for good, and between doing whatever Northern Lords do and raising Jon and Benjen, he had absolutely no time to come visit Robert. 

Robert gets signed to the Casterly Music Group. No Ned. Robert wins a Grammy. No Ned. Robert wins two, three, four Grammys, an Oscar for a movie soundtrack, becomes a multimillionaire, sells out stadiums all over the world, becomes a _household fucking name._

No Ned. 

It would be easy to get bitter, to get furious at Ned for not visiting, but Robert can't find it in himself to be angry. Ned can't leave the North, but Ned writes him all the time -- half-formed lyrics that Ned thinks Warhammer can use, pictures of Jon growing up, pictures of their tiny family at Benjen's graduation. Everytime Warhamer releases material, Robert can expect a call from his best friend, raving about the new music or nitpicking through every single bassline in the album. After all that, it's damn near impossible to hate Ned. 

Robert tries his best to return the favor, but he's always been scatter-brained, and touring keeps him busy and exhausted. The more he travels, the harder it is to keep up with his friends and family. 

One day, while recovering from an after party in Essos that involved too much drinks and too much drugs, he gets a call. 

It's Ned.

"Robert!" Ned says, sounding lighter and happier than he had in years. "Catelyn and I are getting married – will you be my best man?"

Robert feels his world shift. 

~

It's strange, putting a drunk Ned into the passenger seat of a car. It's always been the other way around – Robert the drunk and Ned the designated driver. But today was Ned's bachelor party, so Robert stayed away from the alcohol and made sure that Ned had a great time. It was the least he could do for his oldest friend. 

"Thanks for taking me home," Ned murmurs, his eyes slightly unfocused, and the corners of his mouth upturned in that tiny, tiny smile.

A lump forms in Robert's throat – _isthiswhathewouldhavelookedlikeifIwokeupnexttohimeveryday_ – but he swallows it down and forces himself to chuckle. "Anything for you, bud," he says as lightly as he can, and then shuts the door before Ned can say anything more. It's freezing out, but he takes his time rounding the car; deep breaths, that would get him through… whatever this is. Deep breaths. 

Thank the gods that Ned is asleep when Robert finally gets into the car. At least now there's no chance of either of them talking about his _feelings_ , like the doubts that Robert has over Catelyn – Brandon's ex, _what the hell was Ned thinking?_ Like his concern that Ned is only blinded by how he and Cat have been basically playing house while she "helps him take care of Jon". Like the ugly pit in Robert's stomach that is horrifyingly close to jealousy, and the rage that simmers deep, deep down when he thinks about the wedding scheduled in two weeks. 

Ned is getting married, and Robert only realizes that he _doesn't like that one bit_ when he's driving Ned home after the fucking bachelor party. 

He pulls up at Winterfell, and gently shakes Ned awake. His friend blinks slowly, and that _damnable_ smile lights up his face again when he finally focuses on Robert.

"Robert – oh, we're home," he says, eyes soft and unguarded and impossibly warm. 

Home. _We're home._

Robert is suddenly arrested by the image of going home with Ned everyday for the rest of his life. 

"Are you sure about this, Ned?" Robert blurts before he can stop himself. 

"Yeah," Ned says, still foggy enough to answer honestly. "Really sure. Only ever happened to me once, with us, but after things didn't work out…"

Robert stops breathing. 

"We want different things, I _know_ that," he rambles. "But – I'm sure that I love you, and I'm sure that I'll keep loving you, and I'm sure that even if you don't love me the same way, you still do. As a friend. That's enough." Ned smiles again, but this time it's _sad_ , and it hurts to look at him so Robert turns away. 

"Cat, though," Ned continues. "We're, it's good, we're good together, and I'm _sure._ "

Well. There's not much else for him to say now. 

"Thanks for taking me home, Robert," Ned says, but Robert doesn't hear it much, doesn't hear Ned leaving over the chorus of _youmissedyourchancehelovedyouandyoumisseditalltheseyears_ in his head. 

It takes him a while to get himself together, but eventually, he swallows the hurt and drives back home. Without Ned.   
  


**Author's Note:**

> Began this in 2015 and then chickened out at the porn scene. I hope it's not horrible.


End file.
